Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => News Items => Topic started by: wdtony on September 03, 2011, 07:46:24 PM
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http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52502 ... s.html.csp (http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52502999-78/lawsuit-abuse-court-students.html.csp)
Troubled teens abused at Utah-based schools, lawsuit claims
By Roxana Orellana
The Salt Lake Tribune
First published Sep 02 2011 01:25PM
Updated Sep 2, 2011 11:26PM
After their case was dismissed last month in federal court, a group of about 500 parents and students have gone to state court with allegations of abuse by the operators of a Utah-based school for troubled teens.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in 3rd District Court, claims that from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, students attending schools owned and operated by World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools Inc., (WWASPS) — founded by La Verkin entrepreneur Robert Lichfield — were physically, emotionally and sexually abused at the facilities.
WWASPS is accused of a lengthy list of abuses, including that students were beaten, chained, locked in dog cages, forced to eat vomit and made to lie in urine and feces as punishment. The complaint also alleges students were forced into sexual acts.
"At all times relevant, defendants did not disclose to the parents the physical, emotional, mental, and/or sexual abuse to which their children were subjected at their facilities and conspired, even to this day, to prevent them from discovering such abuse," the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit lists a total of 59 defendants, including Cross Creek Center for Boys LLC., Cross Creek Manor LLC., Teen Help LLC and Brightway Adolescent Hospital. The facilities mentioned in the lawsuit — a number of which are now closed — are located throughout the United States, as well as Mexico, Costa Rica and the Czech Republic.
The defendants are also accused of defrauding parents of tuition and other monies paid.
The lawsuit was first filed in U.S. District Court in 2006, but Judge Clark Waddoups dismissed it in August, citing a lack of jurisdiction in August.
Windle Turley, a Dallas attorney representing the plaintiffs, said Waddoups dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds because of the way the case was structured, not on the merits of the case.
"We had hoped we could continue to move forward in the federal court. But we’re just glad were going to be able to move forward now," Turley said.
Asked about criminal charges, Turley had details only in connection with a case filed in Costa Rica against school director Narvin Lichfield, who is Robert Lichfield’s brother, for alleged sexual abuse. Turley said those charges were ultimately dismissed.
The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount of damages, including punitive damages, to be determined at trial. A racketeering claim was dropped from the lawsuit filed federal court but may be added to the state lawsuit, Turley said.
Attorney Stewart Harman, who represented Lichfield and Ken Kay, WWASPS’ president, in the federal lawsuit, said "the reasons for dismissal are clearly and adequately laid out and set forth in Judge Waddoups’ decision."
Kay has previously denied the lawsuit’s allegations as "ludicrous."
"We don’t condone any type of child abuse and it’s highly unlikely that any of the incidents ever happened," Kay said in 2007, noting that troubled teens often have a record of fabricating stories.
rorellana@sltrib.com
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Oh, hello.
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It would appear that WWASPS and the Lichfields are not too popular with the Salt Lake Tribune readership.
Comments (http://http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52502999-78/lawsuit-abuse-court-students.html.csp#disqus_thread) left for the above article, "Troubled teens abused at Utah-based schools, lawsuit claims (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=37748&p=404216#p404212)" (by Roxana Orellana; Sep 2, 2011; The Salt Lake Tribune), #s 1-20:
turbulator · Sep 2, 2011
They just wanted to turn the children into fine young WWASPS
Cosmo · Sep 2, 2011 in reply to turbulator
White Whimpy Anglo-Saxon Privileged Sh!theads
Oosik · Sep 2, 2011 in reply to Cosmo
Their goal is to inculcate an unquestioning submission to authority. "Yours is not to question why. Yours is to do as your told and be thankful".
Hail_to_the_chef · Sep 3, 2011 in reply to Oosik
This treatment only serves to confirm that adults are insane and vicious, increasing "rebellion" as a means of self preservation.
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DaleAGraves · Sep 2, 2011
"World Wide ..." but based in the hinterlands of backside of Utah....
Sounds like more people trying to exercise their godhood early. Not that they will ever get there,
grannisue · Sep 2, 2011
500 parents and children filed suit and "it's highly unlikely that any of the incidents ever happened". 500 - not 5 - give me a break! Yes, troubled teens fabricate stories and so do other teens but the magnitude of those in this lawsuit makes it more likely that some if not all of the abuse took place. (I won't be serving on that jury).
Shelama · Sep 2, 2011
Is Bishop Buttars involved with these, too?
Cosmo · Sep 2, 2011 in reply to Shelama
Exactly. My first question too.
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BigBM · Sep 2, 2011
Hail_to_the_chef · Sep 3, 2011 in reply to BigBM
I'm sure many Mormons are appalled by all this as well.
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Cosmo · Sep 2, 2011
"...LaVerkin entrepreneur Robert Lichfield..."
(snicker)
laytonian · Sep 2, 2011 in reply to Cosmo
LaVerkin Republican operative, for sure.
Big big donor.
http://www.campaignmoney.com/p.. (http://www.campaignmoney.com/p..).
Used to be affiliated as a fund raiser for Mitt Romney, now Lichfield just makes big contributions to his cronies -- to make sure that he does "business" in an unregulated manner.[/list][/list]
DaleAGraves · Sep 2, 2011
"The lawsuit was first filed in U.S. District Court in 2006, but Judge
Clark Waddoups dismissed it in August citing a lack of jurisdiction."
Hmm. Related to the OTHER Wad-oops perhaps???
Hail_to_the_chef · Sep 3, 2011 in reply to DaleAGraves
Yes he is, and he has a long history of dismissing any and all charges against the well connected in Utah.
Oosik · Sep 3, 2011 in reply to DaleAGraves
Whoops! ;)
When clans insinuate themselves into the various branches of govt. in a state, even in the Fed. Judiciary eg. Justices Waddoups and Matheson. Hell even Dee Benson in a favorite son.
When it comes to clans I believe UT rivals the south eastern quadrant of the US. The UT statehouse where everyone is probably a cousin. Hence the obsession with genealogy
DaleAGraves · Sep 3, 2011 in reply to Oosik
[/list][/list]
Oosik · Sep 2, 2011
When I first read the headline I thought it was going to be about Buttars' and his Mormon Gulag - aka Utah Boys Ranch, - aka West Ridge Academy.
It really doesn't matter though as the goal is to instill unquestioning submission to 'Authority' and not to question why. I'm appalled that such places are allowed to exist.
Oosik · Sep 2, 2011 in reply to Oosik
Now that I think about it maybe it isn't the Mormon Gulag. Considering the geographical reach reported in the article suggests a - Mormon Gulag Archipelago. Shades of Solzhenitsyn!
Wait a minute here. Souls who nip sin? hmm
Chester4 · Sep 6, 2011 in reply to Oosik
That is why Buttars wanted school vouchers and underfunded the public school system.
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1stedition · Sep 2, 2011
We can thank the Utah Legislature in part for this situation. The State used to regulate these programs, but the program owners complained, and the ever-helpful Legislature severely restricted the State's oversight authority, with predictable results.
If this mystifies you, just remember that most kids don't make political contributions.
Copyright 2011 The Salt Lake Tribune.
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Comments (http://http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52502999-78/lawsuit-abuse-court-students.html.csp#disqus_thread) left for the above article, "Troubled teens abused at Utah-based schools, lawsuit claims (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=37748&p=404216#p404212)" (by Roxana Orellana; Sep 2, 2011; The Salt Lake Tribune), #s 21-36:
Hail_to_the_chef · Sep 3, 2010 in reply to 1stedition
Beating and torturing "bad" kids is seen as a valid means to reform them by many who fancy themselves to be "good" in Utah, unfortunately.
Chester4 · Sep 6, 2010 in reply to 1stedition
The Utah State Legislature is to blame, I agree. After former Senator Chris Buttars was accused of abusing his charges at the Utah Boy's Ranch, he was elected to the Senate and allowed to sit on the Judaical committee. The anti-child, hate group, Utah Eagle Forum and Gayle Ruzicka actually campaigned for him and promoted him.
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hankt27 · Sep 2, 2011
I don't know what I'd do if I had a "troubled teen", but I know what I would NOT do - and that's send them to one of these programs.
Hail_to_the_chef · Sep 3, 2011 in reply to hankt27
Troubled teens make ideal targets for sadists and for sexual abuse because no one will believe them, just as the lawyer for the people running the "schools" implies.
Chester4 · Sep 6, 2011 in reply to hankt27
There have been youth who have died in Utah from "Wilderness Camps" and other abusive private schools and programs. Any parent who would send a children to a school like this or to Utah Boy's Ranch is an UNFIT parent and should have all parental right's terminated.
There are license, well-run and well regulated mental hospitals for teens. These facilities always allow parents to visit, observe and inspect their children living conditions. Children and teens are released as soon as they are stable. Not so with gulags such as Utah Boy's Ranch.
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laytonian · Sep 2, 2011
They were sad that Letterman beat them to "World Wide Pants"
4EZlife · Sep 3, 2011
The 2 proven craziest towns in Utah are without a doubt LaVerkin and Kanab. And that's puts them right at the top of the worldwide crazy scale, given the high ranking on the worldwide crazy scale of ANY and ALL small towns in Utah.
Both aspire to instigate a theocracy...and breed crazy Ba$tards...............
Chester4 · Sep 6, 2011 in reply to 4EZlife
You are correct. LaVerkin declared itself a United Nations free zone because the U.N. works with human rights and equal rights.
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login49 · Sep 3, 2011
No different from Warren Jeffs and his molestation of all those kids, Utah legislatures knew about and allowed the child molestation to happen all those years. But don't you dare drink that beer in the open! I wonder how many of the good ole boys visited those places? Just to inspect, of course!
Scott Smith · Sep 3, 2011 in reply to login49
Don't forget the tens of thousands of other mormon polygamist felons within Utah's borders. They're also immune to prosecution in this state. AG Mark Shurtleff must be a child molester himself.
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Hail_to_the_chef · Sep 3, 2011
Waddoups seems to dismiss any and all charges against his cronies.
10027 · Sep 4, 2011
I am one of the now adult survivors that filed to be in this lawsuit, I had been pre-accepted to Bible college at the time when i was sent to a wwasps program. I was sent in 93 to be able to work on some of the issues of my earlier childhood abuse. I was beaten, kept in isolation, suffocated, drugged, denied the privacy to use the restroom alone without someone making inappropriate comments, essentially I was tortured, and yet I know for a fact that the only record these kids had of fabricating stories, was the one where they tried to act like everything was OK, and didn't affect them. These people knew what they were doing. They would talk about the oversea programs being even more abusive and they would create rumours about possibly being sent there and about kids that had escaped being raped just so we would feel like we could never get away. We literally could not because they cut off our communication and watched our every move. I was allowed out of an isolation room and joined a dorm room at Seattle Pacific U. after nearly five months of this abuse. Now as a parent of three, having overcome many symptons of PTSD, with a real therapist in recent years, and having researched what they did to these kids I realize how sick and completely corrupted this situation was. To learn more you can see my story post on reddit, we are truely surprised that people in Utah care, while I have met some that have created programs like Strengthening Families and I know I have distant Mormon relatives there, survivors have been wondering if they could ever come there again and not be afraid, many of these kids were abused prior to being sent there, and apparently there parents didn't understand simply didn't care that there isn't oversight, thanks for covering this issue. For more info, see
http://redd.it/jvcen (http://redd.it/jvcen) Also for whatever reason I didn't make the turley cut they couldn't keep up with the number of plaintiffs coming in maybe it's because of how far back I went there, or maybe it was because other people suffered much severe abuse, I went to Cross Creek Manor, (CCM) now CC Academy, it was at a different location, but the new location opened when I was there and abuse took place there, and even survivors in the last couple years that have gotten out report similar things you can read there stories on this site too, thanks.[/list]
Chester4 · Sep 6, 2011 in reply to 10027
How absolutely awful for you. We have the same type of thing reported at the Utah Boy's Ranch and no one would believe the young men. I heard so many stories that I just sat down and cried.
May you find some peace and healing in this life and yes, I hope you sue the hell out of those schools.
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Wayne Kernochan · Sep 5, 2011
I know plenty of WWASP survivors, and any denial that these things happened is a lie. WWASP needs to be closed down
Chester4 · Sep 6, 2011
They owners of private schools where sexual abuse has been alleged are some of the very same people who are fighting so hard for School Vouchers. They know that the public school system is not a safe place for sexual predators because of the open classroom doors, regulations, freedom of information, parent-teacher association etc.
turbulator · Sep 6, 2011
A lawsuit filed in 2007 against WWASPS and its founder, Robert Lichfield, on behalf of 133 plaintiffs alleging physical and sexual abuse and fraudulent concealment of abuse brought negative publicity to Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, because Lichfield was one of six co-chairs of the Utah state fundraising committee for Romney's campaign.
Copyright 2011 The Salt Lake Tribune.
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Utah-based troubled-teen schools subject of lawsuit (http://http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705390421/Utah-based-troubled-teen-schools-subject-of-lawsuit.html)
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue,
Deseret News,
Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011
SALT LAKE CITY — Attorneys representing 350 former students and 150 of their parents have renewed their claims of fraud, breach of contract and allegations of abuse against a Utah-based organization running schools for troubled children.
The lawsuit filed last week in 3rd District Court against the World Wide Association of Specialty Schools jump starts claims of damages filed back in 2006 in federal court — a case dismissed at that level because of jurisdictional issues.
Tenets of the case, however, remain the same, alleging the umbrella of schools charged thousands of dollars a month in tuition but failed to deliver on educational promises and psychological treatment plans.
In addition, the suit outlines of host of abuses students say were perpetuated on them while in the care of the schools, including:
• Unsanitary living conditions
• Being kicked, beaten, thrown and slammed to the ground
• Sexual abuse
• Chained and locked in dog cages
• Forced to lie in urine and feces as a method of punishment
WWASPS, owned by Utahns Robert Lichfield, Brent M. Facer and Ken Kay, has been the subject of multiple lawsuits and investigations over the years resulting from allegations always flatly denied and rejected by its attorneys.
Multiple ancillary programs and services are alleged to be part of a network that supported schools operating in Mexico, Jamaica and throughout the United States, including Utah.
Some of the schools have been criminally investigated by state or local authorities, including an expansive probe by the New York Attorney General's Office of Ivy Ridge Academy near the border of Canada and the United States.
At the time of a 2005 settlement reached in that case, New York state attorneys said Ivy Ridge was behind one of the largest educational fraud cases in the history of the state. The school was ordered to partially reimburse tuition costs of parents and to refrain from advertising that it offered educational diplomas because it was not an accredited institution recognized by state officials.
Casa by the Sea, another specialty school, was shut down after a raid by Mexican officials in 2004.
Ivy Ridge was operated by a Jason Finlinson, said to be Robert Lichfield's, son-in-law, and Casa by the Sea was operated by Narvin Lichfield, Robert Lichfield's brother.
Such relationships also go to the heart of this latest lawsuit that alleges a network of related, or closely related individuals, operating in a single enterprise that "skimmed such large amounts of money off the amounts paid by parents that little was left to provide services and care for the children at the boarding facilities."
Attorney Windle Turley, of Dallas, Texas, said he is hopeful that the restructured lawsuit will move forward in state district court and give his clients a forum to air their complaints.
The plaintiffs seek a court order a jury trial and unspecified damages.
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See also related thread about Carl Brown Austin's case; this former WWASPS student chose to file separately:
- Lawsuit due to a stay at Casa by the Sea and High Impact
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=37237 (http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=37237)
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From the above article, "Utah-based troubled-teen schools subject of lawsuit (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=37748&p=404492#p404468)":
Attorney Windle Turley, of Dallas, Texas, said he is hopeful that the restructured lawsuit will move forward in state district court and give his clients a forum to air their complaints.[/list][/size]
Here's more on that restructured lawsuit, actually a cross-post from another thread (originally posted (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=19936&p=404489#p404489) earlier today by AtomicAnt):
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Courthouse News Service
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 · Last Update: 6:32 AM PT
Torture Alleged at Chain of Children's Homes (http://http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/09/06/39546.htm)
By JONNY BONNER
SALT LAKE CITY (CN) - Hundreds of parents claim a group of boarding schools tortured their children: locked them in dog cages, forced them to lie in feces and eat vomit, masturbated them and denied the troubled teens any religion "except for the Mormon faith."
The Utah-based World Wide Association Of Specialty Programs and Schools and its owners - Robert Lichfield, Brent Facer and Ken Kay - went to great lengths to hide the "torture," which began in the mid-1990s and continued for a decade, the 357 plaintiffs claim in Salt Lake County Court.
The plaintiffs say that 59 schools and owners tied to the company "jointly promoted, advertised, and marketed defendants' residential boarding schools as a place where children with problems could get an education while receiving instruction and direction in behavior modification for emotional growth and personal development."
But they say the children were subjected to physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the schools including, Cross Creek Center for Boys, Brightway Adolescent Hospital and Red Rock Springs. They say the abuses inflicted upon some children for years "could be accurately described as torture."
According to the complaint, students were locked in boxes, cages and basements at the schools, denied medical and dental care, and forced "to carry heavy bags of sand around their necks or logs throughout the day over many days."
They were sexually abused, "which included forced sexual relations and acts of fondling and masturbation performed on them," according to the 119-page complaint.
Students were "forced to eat their own vomit ... bound and tied by hands and/or feet ... chained and locked in dog cages ... forced to lie in, or wear, urine and feces ... forced to sleep on cold concrete floors, boxspring, or plywood," and put to forced labor, the complaint states.
Children were "kicked, beaten, thrown and slammed to the ground ... forced to eat raw or rotten food ... poked and prodded with various objects while being strip searched ... denied any religious affiliation, except for the Mormon faith ... [and] threatened [with] severe punishment, including death, if they told anyone of their abuses and poor living conditions," according to the complaint.
Their mail was confiscated, and personal visits and telephone calls were forbidden or discouraged, the parents say.
"At all times relevant, defendants did not disclose to the parents the physical, emotional, mental, and/or sexual abuse to which their children were subjected at their facilities and conspired, even to this day, to prevent them from discovering such abuse," the complaint states.
The defendant company still operates residential centers in Utah, South Carolina and Costa Rica, but has faced school shutdowns in Mexico, Jamaica and Samoa amid child abuse investigations, according to the complaint. It says that more than 2,100 students were enrolled in its schools in 2003.
The plaintiffs filed a similar lawsuit in Federal Court in 2006, which U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups dismissed in August for lack of jurisdiction.The parents seek punitive damages for fraud, gross negligence, false imprisonment, assault and battery, and breach of contract, and a protective order to prevent spoliation of evidence.
They are represented by Windle Turley of Dallas, Texas and James McConkie II with Parker & McConkie of Salt Lake.
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PDF download: Complaint (http://http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/09/06/TortureKids.pdf) (119 pp).
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Former students claim abuse in teen boot camps (http://http://www.cnbc.com/id/44444304)
CNBC, 8 Sep 2011
SALT LAKE CITY - A Utah company that ran a network of domestic and international schools for troubled teens is being sued by more than 350 former students who claim they were denied food and medical care, lived in filth and suffered physical and sexual abuse that could be described as torture.
"Such abuses were inflicted on some children for several years," the lawsuit states.
Among the abuses detailed in the lawsuit include exposure to extreme hot or cold temperatures for extended periods, placement in isolation, including being locked inside small boxes or cages, being bound by the hand and feet, and being forced to eat raw or rotten foods or to eat their own vomit.
Some students also allege they were emotionally and verbally abused, were forced to wear unwashed clothing for weeks, were prevented from using bathrooms, deprived of sleep and deprived of any religious affiliations other than Mormonism.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of more than 350 former students and 150 of their parents in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court last week. The students are from 38 different states, England and Canada and attended the residential school programs between the mid-1990s to mid-2000s.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools and it's three principles Robert B. Lichfield of Toquerville, Brent M. Facer and Ken Kay, both of St. George.
Also named are a network of nearly 50 other affiliated businesses and individuals, which the lawsuit claims were also controlled by the organization's principles through either family relationships or written management agreements.
No hearings have been set in the case and it was not immediately clear whether any of the 54 defendants were represented by attorneys.
The lawsuit alleges fraud, breach of contract and abuse by the organization and its affiliates and seeks a jury and unspecified damages.
The lawsuit renews claims in a 2006 lawsuit filed in Salt Lake City's U.S. District Court which was dismissed by a federal judge for jurisdictional reasons in August.
Messages left for the attorneys who represented the schools, Lichfield, Facer and Kay in that lawsuit did not immediately reply to telephone and e-mail messages on Thursday.
In court papers, attorneys for the students contend World Wide has operated more than 20 schools in seven states and in Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Samoa and the Czech Republic, although the exact number remains unclear.
Many of the schools were open for only short periods of time "because of their failure to comply with their respective state and country licensing and regulatory laws because of abuse and mistreatment of children and because the (organization's) principles drained excessive funds off the top," court papers states.
New schools were continually being created to take in students from schools that had been abruptly shut down, and the "directors and staffing at news schools were often the same incompetent and untrained" persons who had run those schools shut down by regulatory agencies or after allegations of abuse, the lawsuit states.
Attorneys for the students say the organization charged families thousands in monthly tuition, but then failed to provide adequate education or therapeutic treatment programs.
Windle Turley, a Dallas-based attorney representing the families says state and local authorities in some places have moved to shut down or investigate the schools, including the New York Attorney General's Office, which conducted criminal investigation of a school near the U.S. border with Canada. In addition, authorities in Costa Rica and Mexico have conducted problems, Turley said.
In June, a separate federal lawsuit was also filed by an individual student against the organization and its principles.
Carl Brown Austin, 24, of Spokane, contends he spent nearly two years at the organization's Casa by the Sea and High Impact programs in Mexico. Austin claims he was a "virtual prisoner" in programs that meted out primitive punishment for hours on end.
When Austin's lawsuit was filed, Facer told The Associated Press he had served on World Wide's board, but that the organization had shut down because there was no longer a need for its programs.
Asked why former students might bring such accusations, Facer said children brought to such schools have a history of misrepresenting the truth.
"That's why these kids need help," Facer said. "They lie to their parents, lie to their superiors, teachers, people who maybe they would consider an authoritative type of figure. That's not uncommon."
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Jenny Dobner is a friend of mine and wrote this article, the first of it's kind IMO that gives real credence to survivor accounts:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/0 ... 55459.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/world-wide-association-of_n_955459.html)
The comments section of the HuffPo is probably a great place to tell some of your experiences. Lots of readers. You never know who might pick up on it. Keep networking.
Cheers.
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Here's that article from HuffPo that DJ linked to above (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=37748&p=404588#p404573)... This is essentially the same article that Oscar posted (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=37748&p=404588#p404534) just prior, save for some different wording here and there, as well as some additional detail regarding the Academy at Ivy Ridge. It also includes credit for the reporter, something that NBC (and most other papers carrying this Associated Press article) neglected to mention. For these reasons and more, I'm reposting it in full:
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H U F F
P O S T
World Wide Association Of Specialty Programs And Schools Sued By Ex-Students Claiming Abuse (http://http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/world-wide-association-of_n_955459.html)
By JENNIFER DOBNER · 09/ 8/11 06:32 PM ET · AP
SALT LAKE CITY -- A Utah company that ran a network of domestic and international schools for troubled teens is being sued by more than 350 former students who claim they were denied food and medical care, lived in filth and suffered extreme physical and sexual abuse.
"Such abuses were inflicted on some children for several years," the lawsuit states. "In many instances, the abuse could be accurately described as torture of children."
Among the abuses detailed in the lawsuit include being exposed to extreme hot or cold temperatures for extended periods; being forced to eat raw or rotten foods or to eat their own vomit; being bound by the hands and feet; and being placed in isolation, including being locked inside small boxes or cages.
Some students also allege they were emotionally and verbally abused, were forced to wear unwashed clothing for weeks, were prevented from using bathrooms, were deprived of sleep and were deprived of any religious affiliations other than Mormonism.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of more than 350 former students and 150 of their parents in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court last week. The students are from 38 states, England and Canada and attended the residential school programs between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools and its three principals, Robert B. Lichfield of Toquerville, and Brent M. Facer and Ken Kay, both of St. George.
Also named are a network of nearly 50 other affiliated businesses and individuals, which the lawsuit claims were also controlled by the organization's principals through either family relationships or written management agreements.
No hearings have been set in the case, and it was not immediately clear whether any of the 54 defendants were represented by attorneys.
The lawsuit alleges fraud, breach of contract and abuse by the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools and its affiliates and seeks a jury and unspecified damages. The suit renews claims in a 2006 lawsuit filed in Salt Lake City's U.S. District Court that was dismissed by a judge for jurisdictional reasons in August.
The attorneys who represented the schools, Lichfield, Facer and Kay in that lawsuit did not immediately respond to telephone and email messages Thursday.
In court papers, attorneys for the students say World Wide has operated more than 20 schools in seven states and in Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Samoa and the Czech Republic, although the exact number and how many remain in operation is unclear.
Many of the schools were open for only short periods because of their failure to comply with licensing and regulatory laws, because of abuse allegations, and because the organization's "principals drained excessive funds off the top," court papers allege.
New schools were continually created to take in students from schools that were abruptly shut down. But the directors and staff at the news schools were often "the same incompetent and untrained" people who ran the schools that had been closed.
The students' attorneys say World Wide charged families thousands in monthly tuition, but then failed to provide adequate education or therapeutic treatment programs.
Windle Turley, a Dallas-based attorney representing the families, says state and local authorities in some places have moved to shut down or investigate the schools. In New York, the attorney general's office conducted a criminal investigation of a school near the U.S.-Canada border. Authorities in Costa Rica and Mexico also have conducted probes, Turley said.
The New York case resulted in a 2005 settlement and the school was ordered to partially reimburse tuition costs to parents and stop advertising that it offered educational diplomas because it was not recognized by the state as an accredited school, the Deseret News of Salt Lake City has reported.
State attorneys also said the school, Ivy Ridge, was behind one of the largest education fraud cases in New York's history.
The newspaper also reports that Mexican officials raided and shut down a school called Casa by the Sea in 2004.
In June, an individual student who claims he attended Casa by the Sea filed a separate federal lawsuit against World Wide and its owners.
Carl Brown Austin, 24, of Spokane, claims he spent nearly two years in the Ensenada, Mexico, school and was a "virtual prisoner" in programs that meted out primitive punishment for hours on end.
When Austin's lawsuit was filed, Facer told The Associated Press he had served on World Wide's board, but that the organization had shut down because there was no longer a need for its programs.
Asked why former students might bring such accusations, Facer said children brought to such schools have a history of misrepresenting the truth.
"That's why these kids need help," Facer said. "They lie to their parents, lie to their superiors, teachers, people who maybe they would consider an authoritative type of figure. That's not uncommon."
Copyright © 2011 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
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Yeah facer....they're all lying.... all 350 of them. :waaaa:
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Jennifer Dobner's above article (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=37748&p=404588#p404588) also appeared in the following publications (as well as many others) under the following headlines:
- Lawsuit from former students claims abuse in network of Utah-based schools for troubled teens (http://http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/lawsuit-from-former-students-claims-abuse-in-network-of-utah-based-schools-for-troubled-teens/2011/09/08/gIQAdOgdCK_story.html) (Sept. 8, 2011; Washington Post)
- Former students claim abuse in teen boot camps (http://http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9PKK5080.htm) (September 8, 2011, 6:32PM ET; Bloomberg Businessweek)
- Former students claim abuse in teen boot camps (http://http://moneywatch.bnet.com/economic-news/news/former-students-claim-abuse-in-teen-boot-camps/6293275/) (Sep 8, 2011 5:11 PM ET; CBS MoneyWatch.com) - slightly abbreviated version
- Former students claim abuse in teen boot camps (http://http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/08/ap/business/main20103445.shtml) (September 8, 2011 2:57 PM; CBS News) - highly abbreviated version
- Former students claim abuse in teen boot camps (http://http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/09/08/general-us-boot-camp-lawsuit_8665962.html) (09.08.11, 02:34 PM EDT; Forbes.com) - highly abbreviated version
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Green Chimneys Brewester NY is where you get abused. I think Green Chimneys is a WWASP. I hate Green Chimneys.
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Green Chimneys Brewester NY is where you get abused. I think Green Chimneys is a WWASP. I hate Green Chimneys.
Never heard of this place, but I am in or near Brewster several times a month. Any details?
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Green Chimneys Brewester NY is where you get abused. I think Green Chimneys is a WWASP. I hate Green Chimneys.
Never heard of this place, but I am in or near Brewster several times a month. Any details?
Green Chimneys is not a WWASPS program. Moreover, it significantly predates WWASPS.
Here's a thread on it in the FQA forum; I just haven't had time to add to it yet.
- Green Chimneys is Green Hell
viewtopic.php?f=52&t=37861 (http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=37861)
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The above Amy Joi O'Donoghue article posted by Oscar, "Utah-based troubled-teen schools subject of lawsuit (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=37748&p=404233#p404468)," didn't get any comments via its Deseret News location. However, it was also published on the website of a local television station, where it did eventually muster up a few...
Comments (http://http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=960&sid=17136459&comments=true) left for the article, "Troubled-teen schools subject of lawsuit" (by Amy Joi O'Donoghue; September 7th, 2011; KSL.com):
Pytry · posted 45 days ago
I used to work as an evening instructor for a special needs school. But this school was nothing like what was discribed in this article. It had clean and open facilities, awesome instructors (maybe I'm biased on that point), and the staff was very patient and kind to all of it's students. It was also an accredited school, and the students worked towards their high school diplomas while in attendance.
The point being, don't let this case bias you towards schools that offer similar services. In general, these types of schools are able to help many of their students change or learn to live with and cope with any problems they have.
Perhaps KSL could do a follow up article about some of the good schools we have here in Utah?
Stifler · posted 45 days ago
It seems like any time you have a service for troubled youth or adults, you have many lawsuits that follow. Could this be that many view troubled people in general as easy targets? Is it instead that troubled people are often classified as such due to their tendencies to lie and manipulate? Or is it a combination of the two?
immmykidsdad · posted 45 days ago
PPl who won't let everyone have an equal say in things are rude.
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Jane H. · posted 45 days ago
I am shocked to hear this and cannot imagine how these allegations have any basis. My son and my nephew from Arizona, as well as my best friend's son (also from Arizona) have all been through "WWASPS" programs. These programs are amazing! Each of these boys changed their lives in dramatic ways and are all on a good path as a direct result of these programs. We personally never experienced ANY of what the plaintiffs in this lawsuit are claiming. Most students are placed in these for lying, manipulating, and a complete lack of integrity & accountability. I am sad to learn that now they are turning on the schools that they could have been helped by. The real losers in all of this, is THEM.
Ordinary guy · posted 45 days ago
Bob has had a huge number of kids go through his programs. And, most of the kids are kids of rich people who have more money than time for those kids. These are the kids, and sometimes parents, that anytime they think they can get something by threatening a law suit, they will.
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Ah, what crap. With as many valid reports of abuse as there have been, there should be federal funding set aside for some seriously in-depth investigations into these places...
More than just "regulation."
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WWASPS is the real enemy. They're supposed to help students who are struggling in their home, school or community. They are an empire built on conning parents out of there money, not helping teens. Everyone associated with WWASPS should be imprisoned for inflicting torture on children.